A Crack in the Heart

Chapter 1-2

Cassandra stopped to top-up her scryPhone by holding it against one of the broad leaves.

“I think you worry too much anyway,” Aiden said when they started walking again. “I mean, you’re always worrying about me—you’ve been worried since we were tested for casting aptitude in grade two. But you’re the best caster I know. If you can’t keep me safe, no one can.”

“Bite your tongue.” Cassandra elbowed him lightly in the side then shook her head. “Man, you are just determined to bring doom down on you tonight. And while I am damn good, since I’m about the only caster you know, you’re not saying as much as you think.” She eyed him sidelong. “You know, Tanner is almost as good a caster as I am. Maybe you should stay at my place tonight. You know, just in case. I’m sure he’d be happy to…make whatever spell you want.”

“Stop it.” Aiden made a face, but Cassandra just cackled at him. Inwardly, though, he was quietly thrilled to think that might be true. Tanner Finn was big, gorgeous, smart, and kind—practically everything Aiden could want in a boyfriend. Aiden already considered Tanner a “friend” friend, and they’d been flirting for months, though Aiden rarely saw him outside the apartment Tanner shared with Cassandra and Greg.

Aiden wouldn’t use a ploy as transparent as Cassandra’s suggestion in a million years, but if her concern for Aiden’s safety was what it took for Tanner or him to take the first step…well, Aiden really wouldn’t mind that at all.

“Are you actually worried about me being a lousy caster right now?” he asked her as they turned left to go through the woods. Short stanchions holding large globes shed cheerful light on the path. Smaller solar vines wound around them, making them look like oddly shaped trees. “‘Cause I’m not worried.” He arched his eyebrows at her behind his glasses. “So I’m wondering if this is a less-than-subtle scheme of yours to get me and Tanner together.”

“You’re a nonexistent caster, Aiden. So, yes, I’m worried right now. I’m always worried. But hey, if it works, you can totally give me credit.”

“You can be the best woman at our wedding.”

Cassandra scoffed. “Like I wouldn’t’ve been anyway.”

* * * *

The walk across the Tallulah Lightman University campus to Cassandra’s apartment was short but a little unnerving. Cassandra had obviously spooked herself with all her talk about Aiden’s inability to cast spells, and kept darting glances around as if something was about to leap out at them from either side of the wooded path. During the day, the forest they were walking through was a quiet, pleasant way to get off the main campus for a while. Aiden liked to run there. But at night, or at least right then with Cassandra looking like she was expecting an ambush, even with the lights every few feet, it felt oppressively closed-in and sinister. Aiden found himself listening for something coming, but he couldn’t hear anything beyond the wind through the ancient trees.

He drew his sword anyway, though he fervently hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. Straight As and practice aside, he’d only ever had to fight with it once, against a goblin. Goblins were little homicidal maniacs, and this one had been vicious, but only about two feet high. Aiden had felt bad about killing the thing, despite how obviously it had been trying to kill him.

Cassandra’s apartment in the graduate residence was right on the edge of campus. It was a relief to see his friend relax when they were close to the traffic lights and other people hurrying home before midnight. Twelve A.M. was nearly two hours away, but the sunset came earlier now it was late summer, and everyone knew the Dark Things didn’t always wait. The big grin Cassandra gave him as they walked up the stairs to the building underscored how nervous she’d been.

“Maybe you really should stay,” she said as she slid her key into the lock. She’d been holding her casting amulet so tightly, Aiden could see red lines on her fingers and the imprint of the embossed drawing of Hecate, patron of witches, on her palm. There was a small statue of Hecate with her three heads next to the right side of the door, invoking protection over the entranceway, and a Korean carved duck on the left, to protect the very small village of the apartment. Cassandra touched them both with a murmur of thanks as they went inside, and Aiden did, too. He didn’t believe in “splintering the divine,” as it was called in academia, but he would never ignore any aspect of it.

“I’m fine, Cass,” he said. “You’re the one who managed to completely freak yourself out over nothing.”

He smirked at her grumbled reply about terrible ungrateful friends as he stepped around the half-empty bowl of milk and the cookie crumbs on the plate next to Cassandra’s door. He was sure one of her neighbor’s pets had enjoyed it, rather than any fairies. He smiled more widely to see the two small altars when he went in, one on either side of the entrance, to appease the spirits in the apartment. His friend was nothing if not thorough.

“Hey! Anybody home? Aiden’s with me,” she bellowed, dropping her bag right in front of the door. Aiden put his bag and sword down a careful distance from the altars. Cassandra’s apartment was small and always untidy, but it was warm and welcoming. He could smell Greg’s incense and see one of Tanner’s potion textbooks on the coffee table, along with some beautifully sketched out alchemical symbols. On the other end was a graphic novel with the title of The Risen Dead. There was a picture on the cover of a guy in a sheriff-type uniform completely surrounded by zombies. It took Aiden a moment to realize the character was holding some kind of large gun, not a large casting amulet or totem the way he’d assumed. Aiden smirked, wondering how the author managed to justify that.

The apartment walls were covered with an eclectic mix of Greg’s framed photographs and Cassandra’s commercial-art prints of mermaids, angels, and unicorns—sometimes all three in one tacky painting. She thought they were hilarious.

“You hollered?” Greg Petran came out of the room he shared with Cassandra. “Hi, Aiden.” He gave Aiden a quick wave—Greg was like Cassandra’s hugging polar opposite—though he did put his arm around his girlfriend. “I’m glad you’re home, Cass. I was getting worried.”

“You always worry,” Cassandra said, as if she hadn’t been quietly freaking out the whole way there herself. She didn’t exactly look upset about Greg’s concern, though.

Aiden discreetly turned away when they started kissing, only to grin at Tanner as he came in from the kitchen. “Hi,” he said, thrilled and a little nervous, the way he always felt around him. He gestured at the lip-locked couple. “I followed her home.”

“Cool. Can I keep you?” Tanner beamed when he saw the goofy grin Aiden couldn’t control. “Here.” He was holding four water bottles by the necks, two dangling from the fingers of each hand. His hands were large enough he could have easily held eight. “Water, unless you want something else?”

“This is great, thanks,” Aiden said, taking the closest one, slick with condensation and nicely cold. Tanner always had water when he visited, and Aiden never missed how Tanner offered him the bottles first.

Cassandra finally pried herself away from her boyfriend. “You’re so sweet, Tanner. Thanks.” She took her own bottle, lifting an eyebrow at Aiden as if he somehow hadn’t noticed Tanner’s gesture.

“None for me,” Greg said. “Not that it’s not great to see you, Aiden, ‘cause it is, but I was about to go read The Risen Dead in my room.” He scooped the book off the coffee table. “I need to find out if Glenn survives.”

“It’s terrible when he gets his head ripped off. I was inconsolable,” Aiden said, just seriously enough Greg looked completely horrified before Aiden started laughing.

“Jerk,” Greg said without heat.

“You’ve never even read it, have you?” Tanner asked Aiden over his water bottle.

Aiden grinned at him, opening his. “Nope.”

“But I’m sure Aiden wants to,” Cassandra cut in cheerfully. She looked at him, all innocence. “You could stay and read it. Tanner has volume one.”

Tanner blushed, then clearly tried to cover it by drinking his water. “Actually, I was, um, kind of hoping I could walk you home. If you wanted,” he said after he’d swallowed a few times.

“Really? ‘Cause, um, I’d like that. I’d like that a lot,” Aiden said. He didn’t even try to be cool, especially when he could see Tanner wanted it as much as he did. He took a long drink as well, mostly so he wouldn’t fidget.

“Oh, yay. I knew you walking me home was a good idea!” Cassandra bounced and clapped like a little girl.

“Cass!” Aiden would’ve slapped his hand over his face, except he didn’t want to hit his glasses. “I always walk you home,” he mumbled. He gave her a likely too-mild glare. “And you were the one who said you were worried about me, remember? You were crazy worried tonight, even.”

“What?” Tanner was instantly alert, his bright blue eyes big with concern. He put his hand on Aiden’s shoulder like a meltingly warm weight. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Aiden said seriously. “Cass was just being extra overprotective about the fact I’m not a caster.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Cassandra muttered.

“Oh, okay. That’s good.” Tanner looked sweetly relieved. “So, it’s cool if we go to your place, then.” He took another drink.

“It’ll be fine,” Cassandra said, nodding quickly. “I mean, Tanner’s bed is tiny. Like, stupid tiny. He’d probably roll over and crush you.” She turned to Tanner. “And you should definitely walk him home, to make sure nothing happens.”

Tanner managed to inhale the water he’d been chugging.

“Okay, I think that’s really my cue to go back to zombies and improbable weaponry,” Greg said while Cassandra started thumping Tanner’s back and Aiden tried not to groan. “Come on, Cass—let’s stop tormenting our friends.” He put his free arm around Cassandra’s shoulder and began steering her out of the room. She rolled her eyes but went willingly enough. “Good night.” Greg waved at Aiden and Tanner, who at least was breathing now. “You’d better leave soon, it’s already ten thirty. You don’t want to risk being out after curfew,” he said, managing to look even less innocent than his girlfriend.

“Um, yeah. Good idea,” Tanner said weakly. He shook his head then ran his large hand through his shoulder-length blond hair. He chuckled, looking just as excited and off-balance as Aiden felt. He gestured vaguely over his shoulder. “I’ll just, you know, get a few things.” He turned away quickly and went down the hall to his room.

Aiden took another long drink of water as he waited, trying to calm his galloping heart. Tanner was going to stay over; after tonight they’d officially be a couple. It made for a pleasant kind of gallop, but still made it a little hard to breathe normally.

He was happy but not quite relieved when Tanner took almost no time at all to return. Tanner had his backpack on, and he was fastening his own weapon belt around his waist, this one with a ring to hold his war hammer. It was a large, brutal thing called a maul that looked like it could easily plant fence posts, with a long spike opposite the flat head. It would have pulverized Aiden’s goblin attacker in one blow. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.” Aiden gulped down the rest of his water, then almost knocked over one of the altars when he grabbed his sword belt off the floor.